In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. I also grow a lesser number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits, usually to capture recessive traits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘SUGAR PEARL’. The present variety was hybridized by me in 1992, grown as a seedling on its own root in my greenhouse, and transplanted to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley).
The variety was developed as a first generation cross using ‘Summer Bright’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,049) yellow flesh nectarine as the selected seed parent and an unnamed white nectarine (unpatented) as the selected pollen parent. A single tree from the stated cross was selected as the claimed variety. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is very distinguished from its seed parent, ‘Summer Bright’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,049) nectarine, by producing nectarines that are white instead of yellow in flesh color and that are sub-acidic instead of acidic in flavor.
The present variety is most similar to ‘Grand Pearl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,960) nectarine tree by producing nectarines that are clingstone in type, globose in shape, full red in skin color, white in flesh color, very firm in texture, and sub-acidic and sweet in flavor, but is distinguished therefrom by being much more productive, by having a small non-showy blossom instead of a large showy blossom, and by producing nectarines that are much less susceptible to skin cracking and russet, that are somewhat larger in size, and that have longer storage capabilities in cold storage.